Doors for automotive vehicles typically include a door frame and an interior trim panel for covering the interior surface of the door frame. The interior trim panel usually includes an armrest with a grab handle mounted to the interior trim. The armrest must be ridged enough to support the arm of an occupant and the force required to open and close the door with the grab handle. However, the ridged arm rest maybe a safety issue were the armrest and grab handle are located in a side impact zone of the occupant. Therefore, it is desirable to have an armrest with grab handle that absorbs energy in order to prevent passenger injury during a side impact collision. Also, since the armrest and grab handle are visible features of the interior trim, style and appearance surfaces must be maintained while incorporating energy absorption characteristics.